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I bought a remote starter at Advance Auto. I asked the clerk who I know well and Friday if it will work for a 6 volt truck. He said yes. I figured it would as it's just 2 wires and a on off switch. I couldn't get it to work.
Where do I attach the clips? It's designed to bypass the starter solenoid, right?
Pinto Plumber said he attaches them to the wires on the end of the junction box on the firewall of his 54. My 54 and all 55's I don't seen do not have it either. For some reason Ford changed that. My wires go directly to the solenoid. My truck was built on August 19, which was late in the production year I suppose.
The Remote Switch is designed to bypass the ignition switch, not the solenoid. 1 wire of the switch goes to the battery + side for negative ground or - side for positive ground and the other wire goes to the little post on the starter solenoid.
It's used to remotely engage the starter when you're working under the hood. Helps keep the wife happy by not having to yell her "Try it now" a bunch of times,
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Be sure to have your truck out of gear when you try the remote switch. You really don't want to damage your truck (our yourself) if your truck starts when you hit the button.
Here is a pic. And see I do not have a junction box like other 54's do. I ordered the stock repro wiring harness from Mid Fifty back in 1999 and my wires came up short. They didn't reach my solenoid. MidFifty Said they sent me the correct harness and I should have a junction block. Here you can see that I had to lengthen my cloth color coated wires with some good original wires I scavenged.
Adding an electronic device that is probably meant for negative ground to a positive ground vehicle (not to mention I've never seen a 6 volt remote starter, but I've not seen everything...) may be awkward. And then there's the neutral start situation, lack of choke control, yadda, yadda, yadda. My hat's off to ya if you get it all working satisfactory.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Be sure to have your truck out of gear when you try the remote switch. You really don't want to damage your truck (our yourself) if your truck starts when you hit the button.
My truck never started on the first push, but if it ever did that would be the time.
Abe, when I first read remote start, my thought was the kind of starter that you sit in your recliner and push a button. You know, so the truck would start and warm up before you climb in
My truck never started on the first push, but if it ever did that would be the time.
Abe, when I first read remote start, my thought was the kind of starter that you sit in your recliner and push a button. You know, so the truck would start and warm up before you climb in
That's what the young kid at advance Auto went looking for!
But Dave, the truck would lurch forward or back when you push the remote starter or the starter button without the key on.
Here is a pic. And see I do not have a junction box like other 54's do. I ordered the stock repro wiring harness from Mid Fifty back in 1999 and my wires came up short. They didn't reach my solenoid. MidFifty Said they sent me the correct harness and I should have a junction block. Here you can see that I had to lengthen my cloth color coated wires with some good original wires I scavenged.
Your start button should have 2 clips on the end of the leads. clip one to the small terminal on the solenoid and the other to a the chassis or engine block. press the button and your off and away. but first make sure you'r in neutral like everyone else says. another good idea is to remove the coil wire from your distributer.
the solenoid looks a good deal lower than where mine is mounted, but I've got a '50 and am no expert on stock originality but others can help with that
I think there's some confusion, on the term "remote starter". Modern cars can be started from a key fob inside the house, this ain't that. It's simply a momentary contact switch like Itsnotavan says, and just triggers the existing solenoid during repair work.
But on a '54, power needs to be provided to the small terminal, not a ground. 48-51's do need the small terminal grounded, 52-on put power to the small terminal to trigger. So one gator clip goes on a Battery Hot source, the other on the small terminal.
Needless to say, it better be in Neutral when you push the button!!
JMHO, but I would forget trying to use a remote starter to bump the engine to a position where I could adjust valves. Pull the plugs and crank the engine over by hand. Better yet, now that you have it running, get it warm, slow it down to a slow idle and adjust the valves hot. You will soon get a feel for it. Yeah, you will have to clean up some oil.
JMHO, but I would forget trying to use a remote starter to bump the engine to a position where I could adjust valves. Pull the plugs and crank the engine over by hand. Better yet, now that you have it running, get it warm, slow it down to a slow idle and adjust the valves hot. You will soon get a feel for it. Yeah, you will have to clean up some oil.
Both the terminals on my solenoid are the same size. One gets the hot cable from the batter, the other goes to the starter.
The first time I adjusted my valves I pulled on the fan with the spark plugs out to advance the crank. This last time I used the method dennis suggested, tightening the screw so the pushrod doesn't turn then back it off a quarter turn. Ray do you use the feeler gauge when you do it running?
I think I'm taking my remote starter back to Advance Auto...
